Helping students raise the sense of initiative in using the target language during english speaking lessons

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Object of the study 1.4 Study method 1.5 The new points of the initiative 2 3 STUDY CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical rationale of the study 2.2 Status of the study problem 2.3 Measures for implementation 2.3.1 Brainstormming 2.3.2 Interrupting stories 2.3.3 Interview/ Role play 2.3.4 Find someone who 2.3.5 Given dialogue frame 2.3.6 Asing questions 2.3.7 Discussions and reporting presentation 2.3.8 Questionaire 2.3.9 Games 2.3.10 Using teaching aids 2.3.11 Outdoor activities 2.4 Study effects 4 5 7 8 10 11 12 14 15 17 CONCLUSION, PROPOSALS 3.1 Conclusion 3.2 Propossals 18 18 REFERENCES 19 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for the study The innovation of teaching foreign languages in general and teaching English in particular has been emphasized since 1980s, together with the trends in educational innovation of the country; in which people not only pay attention to the writing skill practising, but the other skills are also interested in: listening, reading and speaking, especially listening and speaking However, in fact, in the last few years the listening and speaking skills of the students and even of the teachers of English were also limited Therefore, in the renewal of the current reform programs, to meet the practising requirements of the skills, we have to overcome many difficulties, which require the efforts of teachers and students in a long time It is a fact for students at Thach Thanh I High School that most of the students have limited English language skills They feel uninterested in learning English and are not confident in their ability to learn English They are very cautious in using English to communicate with teachers and friends during English lessons, especially speaking lessons Because of this, many students feel bored and passive, making the class atmosphere very tense and boring They seem to be timid and scared at every mistake and lack of positive proactive in speaking English As a teacher assigned by the school to teach English to students in grades 10, 11, and 12 over the years, I have always wondered about how to stimulate students' speaking English in the classroom, how to make students more active, especially during speaking lesson in practicing communication skills in English between students and teachers and other class members After many years of experience and successful application, I boldly write the initiative with the topic: “Helping Students Raise The Sense Of Initiative In Using The Target Language During English Speaking Lessons” 1.2 Aims of the study The subject defines the theoretical foundation and offers some methods of designing speaking activities in the English upper secondary program aimed at: + Improve the quality of teaching and learning English in the school + Increases the student's speaking time during class time and exams for the students + Students find the practical meaning of communication, can remember and talk about these issues logically + Improve students' communication skills + Promote the learner-centered role + Develop students' language skills not only in learning English but also in learning activities and other activities of life 1.3 Object of the study + Teaching methods help to promote the positiveness and the ability to use the spoken language of students in the high school English program + English speaking and communication activities + Students in grades 10, 11, 12 of Thach Thanh I High School 1.4 Study method + Observation Method + Research and Practice Method + Synthesis method 1.5 The new points of the initiative In this information technology era, in addition to the activities and types of textbook exercises, reference books, wed sites, I have designed and implemented activities which are not in the textbook so that they are suitable with my students to promote the students’positiveness, creation, to develop thinking and ability to use English in communication but still meet the need of the entrance examination STUDY CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical Rationale of the study The ultimate goal of language learning is communication Grammar and other skills are also very important, but the aim is to support this goal The overemphasis on grammar, comprehension and writing in general is an obstacle to teaching and learning skills, leading to teaching and learning passively Teachers organize classes in speaking class for the following basic reasons: - Ask the students to practice the skills and apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom - Help students to deepen their knowledge - Get students familiar with big work, pair-work, teamwork, highly interactive personal ideas, time-consuming activities and the need to search for external sources of information (such as information on the library, on the Internet, or information from students themselves) Communication is an important part of everyday life Communicating is the new language that develops thinking It can improve memory and understanding It also engages directly in activities that improve students’ learning skills and students’ attitudes toward the subject, and show students that learning can take place anywhere, not just in the classroom (when Assign similar tasks for students to continue to practice at home but at a higher level.) 2.2 Status of the study problem According to what I observe, the way of teaching the speeches of most teachers now has some limitations: Firstly, most teachers often cling to the textbook's tasks With these types of requests, students passively, have not developed linguistic thinking, are good at textbook abuse, or are using older, answerable books, even teachers those tasks for their students Secondly, sometimes the teacher organizes some supportive activities but does not check, not score, or test but has not attracted all the students Thirdly, teachers not fully apply the method of communication when teaching, teachers also talk a lot, control the classroom (many teachers), less promote the sense of iniative of the students Teachers organize pairwork, groupwork ineffectively so their students cannot support one another We are afraid that the weak children will be passive and nothing and students will use their mother tongue when practicing This can be remedied by calling the weak student up to the team and scoring points for the group, so they will have to help each other accomplish the tasks the teacher presents Depending on the content of the topics and exercises designed in the textbook or the appropriate tasks designed by the teacher, the teacher must develop some of the competencies in each lesson It is necessary to develop the students in the system of nine competencies set by the Ministry of Education and Training, namely: 1- Self-learning ability 2- Ability to learn how to learn 3- Personal competence 4- Creative ability 5- Cooperative capacity 6- Capacity of communication 7- Capacity of thinking 8- Capacity to solve problems 9- Capacity of using information technology and mass media Finally, one of the contents of the entrance exams that make students anxious is communication To well in this type of exercise, they need to have broad knowledge, but the most important thing is through the specific situations they have been experiencing A communication situation is not easy to memorize but when communicating many times, it is self-absorbed in the subconscious mind 2.3 Measures for implementation Below I would like to give some experience on the design and organization of some teaching activities to promote the positiveness in using the English by students in speaking Classes: 2.3.1 Brainstorming (Development Ideas): Brainstorming is a technique that uses the support of the thinking diagram to find solutions to a problem, and it is really effective when working in teams Group work has been a new form of activities for innovating a method in which teachers play a central role in orientation, organization, and counseling, while students are actively involved actively seeking direction,resolved and solved the problem Brainstorming will promote teamwork and groupwork in English lesson This cooperation is indispensable if you want to achieve the purpose of communication in the process of teaching - learning English in particular and foreign languages in general Brainstorming can be applied in many stages of the warm-up process, to the process of addressing the main requirements of the task It can be used in Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing or Language Focus At each stage, each section, Brainstorming brings about certain effects and stimulates, involving all students Brainstorming can be conducted in the classroom as follows: Step 1: Teachers divide students into groups In the process of grouping, attention should be paid to distribute students equally to the same group for mutual support Avoid the too big differences between this group and the other in English learning capacity Because if that happens there will be a group of students who can not carry out the desired Brainstorming activity Teams select their leader and secretary Step 2: Deliver Brainstorming to groups At this stage, the teacher needs to make the students understand the requirements and tasks they have to accomplish It is possible to assign a topic to all groups in order to finally have a general synthesis and to compare the performance of each group or group of issues that need to be solved independently Step 3: Carry out Brainstorming The leader will direct the members of the Brainstorming team, which requires all members to have ideas or opinions on the issue and the secretary is responsible for recording all (except for duplicate ideas) ) In the case where the teacher holds two roles at the same time: both the facilitator and the secretary may call the student to raise their opinion, the teacher randomly writes the student's answer on the board Arrange in a specific order, or ask the students to write their ideas on paper and then put them on the board To attract and impress can use the sticker paper and colorful pens Step 4: Analyze the answers and find a solution to the problem In this step, all members of the group review the answers, not comment or criticize any of them, simply decide on the most appropriate answer Example: English Textbook 10: Unit 8: The story of my villge, Speaking Students work in groups to discuss and develop ideas for improving their village build a medical centre grow cash crops build a football ground Plans to improve life of the village build a football ground build a new school widen the roads 2.3.2 Interrupting stories: This is a fun activity for students to practice speaking, listening and other skills In this way, the teacher (possibly the student) will tell a story that the student knows clearly containing some false information While hearing the story, if the students hear the wrong information, they will stop the story and correct that information Example: English Textbook 10, Unit 1: Speaking Step 1: Students work in groups, looking at the pictures and depicting the activities of Quân Step 2: Choose a good / good student to stand up and repeat the sentences in front of the class Ask students to deliberately give false information under the teacher's secret instruction Ask other students to hear and interrupt the student if the information is wrong, while correcting and giving the right information Example: Quan often gets up at p.m At 2.15 p.m., he watches T.V ( wrong )  correct At p.m., Quan goes to the stadium by bus ( wrong )  correct After that he plays football with his friends At 6.30 p.m., he goes home 2.3.3 Interviews, Role play: Students work in pairs where one of the students who plays the interviewer will ask questions and answers based on the specific content stated in the request and under the guidance of the teacher Example: English textbook 10, Unit 1: A day in the life of - Speaking The teacher invites a student to the board and other students ask questions about what the student usually does every day Some suggested questions are as follows: - What time you have a physics lesson on Monday ? - What lesson you have at …… on …… ? - What you often at p.m every night ? - What time you often watch T.V ? - How often you go swimming ? ……………………………………… 2.3.4 Find someone who … Students will give information or ask information from friends and then report to the class Then the teacher (probably the student) will ask "Who?" And the other students will answer who he/ she is This activity is interesting because it helps students to develop reflexes and improve their skills Example : English textbook 10, Unit 1: A day in the life of - Speaking Step 1: Students prepare the following table: Nam Hoa Mai …… likes English x has a history lesson on x x watches T.V every night x x helps mother with housework x x Step 2: Students go around the class, ask and collect information about their friends and fill out the form Step 3: The teacher calls some students to present to the class Example: - Nam likes English - Hoa often has a history lesson on Friday - Nam often watches T.V every night - Hoa often has a history lesson on Friday - He often helps his mother with the housework Step 4: The teacher asks students: T : Find someone who likes English S : Nam likes English T : Find someone who has a history lesson on Friday S : Hoa and Mai often have a history lesson on Friday T : Find someone who often watches T.V every night S : Nam and Hoa watch T.V every night T : Find someone who helps mother with the housework S : Nam and Mai often help mother with the housework ………………………………… 2.3.5 Given dialogue frame Thanks to the teacher's guidance, students can create their own dialogues and then practice and practice This activity is easy and familiar so students will be interested in learning Example : It’s a hot day Plan the day with your friend, follow the frame below You Your friend Comment on the Express agreement weather with the comment Suggest something to Agree Suggest a time and place to meet Disagree Make another suggestion Agree Say goodbye Say goodbye Example: A: Today’s really hot B: Yes It’s much hotter than yesterday A: Shall we have some beer after work? 2.3.6 Asking questions: This activity is usually conducted in the Warm-up section For example, English Textbooks 10, Unit 15: Cities- Speaking -Step 1: Teacher selects a famous city name and a featured image of the city NEW YORK - Step 2: In groups, students will in turn ask Yes/No questions to find out the name of the city Suggested questions: * Is the city big? YES * Is it located in Asia? NO * Is its population big? MAYBE * Is it famous for high buildings ? YES 2.3.7 Discussions and Reporting a presentation Example: English Textbooks 11, Unit 11: Sources of Energy-Speaking: Task The teacher asked the students to discuss the group, then to report on the types of energy, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to utilize and develop alternative sources of energy - Dicussion: Students discuss in groups, brainstorm about the four aspects of the topic 10 - Reporting a presentation (Báo cáo, thuyết trình): Teachers ask students in each group to take turns giving lectures on the topic Example: Student 1: As we know, human race has the greatest influence on the environment They change the environment by building cities and villages They affect water supply by using it for industry and argriculture Student 2: These things lead to many serious consequences The habitat of plants and animals is seriously destroyed 2.3.8 Questionaire: - The teacher will prepare the student a poll Students read information, mark, complete content as required and report Example 1: English textbook 10, Unit 7: The Mass Media-Speaking - The teacher sends students a questionnaire and asks students to complete QUESTIONNAIRE Name : …………………………… Sex : ………… Class : ………… Age : ………… How are the mass media important to our life ? a very important b not very c not at all The mass media are widely used for ……… a entertaining b getting knowledge c Other purposes What kinds of media you like best? a Television b Newspaper c the Internet How often you use the Internet ? a once a week b twice a week c more than twice What kind of newspaper you like to read ? a Nhan Dan b Tuoi Tre c The Thao Your opinions / suggestions ? ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… 11 - The teacher collects the answers of student A's assignment to student B and asks student B to revise the content that student A answered After the presentation of B, the teacher may ask a number of related questions to check the level of attention, comprehension and reaction of other students Example: Nam is a boy of 16 years old from class 10A3 He thinks that the mass media is very important to our lives and he also thinks that the mass media are widely used for entertaining and getting knowledge He often watches television more than two hours a day He also uses the Internet service quite often Questions: What does Nam think about the mass media? How often does Nam use the Internet? 2.3.9 Games: Games are popular activities that teachers often use Any activity is considered a game when we want students to make and want to find the winner Obviously Games are very active and highly motivated Teachers can design games that are tailored to specific classes and specific subjects in order to involve more students a- Lucky number Example: English Language School 10, Unit 11: National Parks- Speaking Task and Task can be considered as a difficult part because students are unacquainted and not have much knowledge of the conditional type The teacher designed this game to create a cheerful practice atmosphere in the classroom - In this section, the teacher will give the students a few cards with the numbers attached to them, which may be a note of a gift, a request or a sentence in the task to complete You are lucky Your present is a pen Complete the sentences: a If they hadn’t gone by coach, ………………… b If ………………………, they wouldn’t have got lost Smile and laugh 12 You are lucky if you are a girl Complete the sentence If / bring / food / drinks / not / spend / money / expensive restaurant Sing an English song with the word “Love” b- Describe and draw Student A has a drawing, student B does not see Student B must draw the same picture in “content" by listening to his / her friend depicting the drawing and requesting further explanation as needed Then A, B can interchange c- Who am I/ What am I ? Example: English Literature 10, Unit 14: The World Cup-Speaking In the "Free-practice" section, teachers can help students play the game Some suggested questions: Which World Cup is it? a This World Cup was held in Europe b There were 32 teams taking part in this World Cup c France was the champion then  The 1998 World Cup Who is he ? a He is a French football player b He used to play for Juventus football club c He was the best player of the 2006 World Cup Z Zidane 2.3.10 Using teaching aids There are a lot of teaching materials that we can use in English teaching lessons and we can temporarily split into groups of teaching materials: • Allocated group of photos • Tape, disc, casstte • Group of illustrations, rods • Group of modern technical means: Projector, Computer and Projector multipurpose projector • Self-made teaching equipment a Allocated group of photos When teaching classes 11 and 12 I often use these pictures to enter lessons or introduce lesson topics Example: English Textbook 11, Unit 1: Friendship-Speaking The teachers use pictures in textbook, hang them on the board and ask some questions for students to answer as follows: “Look at the people below and describe their physical characteristics” 13 Useful language: - height: tall, medium, short… - face: square, large, oval… - forehead: broad, high… - nose: straight, crooked… - hair: black, grey… - appearance: handsome, beautiful, good-looking… First, I ask a good student in the class to make a model with the teacher: T: Can you describe the man in the picture? St: The man in tall Ha has got a square face, a crooked nose, a broad forehead He is good-looking St1: What does the girl in the picture look like? St2: - She’s of medium height b Modern technical equipment: Projectors, computers and projectors multipurpose Projector: We can not deny the effect of applying information technology on teaching in current conditions When we use information technology, computers and projectors in English teaching hours we will see the advantages of it: - Exciting learning for students - To thoroughly exploit the content to be transmitted to students - Teachers can fulfill all their ideas for lessons taught by traditional teaching methods - Teachers can exploit a lot of images, sound, even video clips on the Internet to serve the lessons - Reduce the cumbersome amount of teaching aids we often use in teaching like paintings, pictures, real objects - Increase the dynamics to students - Modern facilities will create the possibility for teachers to present lectures more vivid, easier to update and adapt to the rapid changes of modern science 14 - Students are not passive in the acquisition of lessons, have more time to deepen their thinking c Supplementary table: Tabular format for students to practice: - Put the board on ½ sheet of A0 paper and give simple, basic suggestions for students to practice Example: Textbook 12, Unit 6: Future Jobs- B: Speaking- Task Discuss which of the jobs in column A you would/ would not like to Explain why/ why not? You can use the cues in column B A Pilot Waiter Taxi driver Electrician Policeman Journalist Hotel receptionist Computer programmer B Boring Rewarding Difficult Interesting Fascinating Dangerous Challenging Fantastic Example: I would like to work as a doctor Working as a doctor would be fascinating job because I would have a chance to take care of people Thanks to the teaching materials I use, students are interested in learning, easy to remember, easy to grasp and deeply grasp the knowledge they learn Especially during Speaking lessons, teaching materials provided them with the vocabulary needed for their speaking practice Therefore, they can perform more confident, fluent speech tasks 2.3.11 Outdoor Activities Extracurricular activities are activities outside of the mainstream curriculum, but it plays an important role in supplementing the skills and experience of living for students, helping them to become more inclusive and interesting people Types of extracurricular activities: * Type 1: Game activity: * Type 2: Performing arts: 15 Performing arts is often rich and it contributes to the student's self-confidence There are several ways to this: The teacher gives the student handouts in which the lyrics need be filled in Then, the teacher gives the students a few times to listen to the song, asks them to fill in the missing words and sing along After helping students complete the lyrics, the teacher may call some students in the groups to re-present the song The group that sang the right words and melody will be rewarded This activity helps to develop students' ability to recognize the correct pronunciation Example: - The teacher gives students the handouts with the following lyrics: I Swear I ………… by the moon and the stars in the sky And I swear like the shadow that's by your side I see the questions in your ………… I know what's weighing on your mind You ……… be sure I know my part 'Cause I'll stand beside you throught the years You'll only……………those happy tears And though I make mistakes I'll never break your heart * And I swear by the ………… and the stars in the sky I'll be there I swear like the shadow that's by your side ( I'll be there ) For better or worse, till death us apart I'll love you with every beat of my …………… And I swear I give you ………………I can I'll build your dream with these two hands We'll ………… some memories on the walls And when just the two of us are there You won't have to ask if I'll still ………… 'Cause as the time turns the page my ………… won't age at all ( Repeat * twice) * Type 3: Talent: Before the extra-curricular week, teachers can assign topics to groups of students (eg: Environment protection, Your hometown, ) Students choose to present their talents to the topic through the design, drawing, music, and so on During the extracurricular session, teachers conduct competitions for groups demonstrating the talents and presentations of each group Teachers can invite some other English teachers to judge the competition to create atmosphere and seriousness for the competition 16 * Type 4: English Speaking Club: This is an activity that aims to create a practice environment for language and communication opportunities for teachers and students in the school and possible off-campus Each month, the club organizers can organize a one-time activity with the design of a number of singing, acting, and language games in English 2.4 Study effects After a year to implement innovative methods of using those ways, I feel happy because of the better results I have found that students are interested in the subject, and especially when they practise speaking English Most students learn self-discipline, self-awareness and discuss the positive implementation of activities that teachers require After a period of teaching, students understand the lessons better and better The rate of weak and lazy students has decreased remarkably Above all, students have made progress in English speaking skills, resulting in being better at the rest skills They are no longer timid and afraid of making mistakes as the first time at school They are much more confident in communicating in English At the beginning of the first semester I had an oral test for the students of 10C4 The result was very low Total students tested: 35 Class Total students 10C4 35 pretty good rather good average total % 0 bad very bad total % total % total % total % 14,2 18 51,6 10 28,5 5,7 The result after implementing new method Total students tested: 35 Class Total students 10C4 35 pretty good rather good average total % 03 8,6 bad very bad total % total % total % total % 17 48,6 14 40 2,8 0 17 It can be seen from the above tables that the application of the method of teaching speaking skills as I have mentioned above in actual teaching has been effective And it is more important that students become interested in speaking skills, which can help students develop their ability to communicate in English I believe I have made the right choice when using the new method to impart knowledge to students CONCLUSION 3.1 Conclusion "Language is the most important means of human communication" (Lenin) This saying is not merely asserting language as the medium of communication but the most important means of communication This saying is more appropriated for teaching and learning the language In summary, the flexible application of different methods of teaching and learning, combined with the design of supplementary teaching activities, in addition to the types of textbook exercises, is essential to develop students' thinking and language skills, promote the sense of initiative in communication and meet the requirements of examinations Teachers are always the ones who create and give students the opportunity to express themselves, be creative, let them be the center of teaching and learning I'm looking forward to receiving comments from friends and colleagues I sincerely thank you 3.2 Proposals As we all know, to organize a foreign language class is not simple Because each method only offers high efficiency when teachers know to choose and use the activities in a reasonable way Therefore it requires each teacher to choose the practical and appropriate forms of teaching English speaking skills so that students will be more active For students, wanting to have good results in this form of learning, they must have serious learning attitude, ability of understanding and ability to contact with real life Only can students make their speaking skills better In addition to classroom training they need to be aware of studying at home Be persistent to 18 achieve this target language Let yourself be always in English atmosphere so that your English will improve more and more CONFIRMATION OF THE HEAD Thanh Hoa, May 20th, 2017 MASTER I swear this is my experiential initiative, not the copy of the others Author, Trinh Thi Mai REFERENCES ELTTP, the Methodology Course book One Ur, P1996: A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge, Cambridge University Press CUP Website: Teachingideas.co.uk “Những vấn đề phương pháp giao tiếp” [Bài viết Mr Trần Văn Cơ- chuyên viên Tiếng Anh Sở GD-đT Bình định giới thiệu xuấn năm 2001] Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2003 English Language Teaching Methodology Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Tiếng Anh 10 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Bài tập Tiếng Anh 10 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Tiếng Anh 11 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Bài tập Tiếng Anh 11 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục 10 Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Tiếng Anh 12 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục 11 Bộ Giáo dục Đào tạo, 2006 Bài tập Tiếng Anh 12 Cơ bản, NXB Giáo dục 12 Tony Buzan, “How to mind map”, NXB Lao động Hà Nội, Phạm Thế Anh dịch 13 “Trái tim người Thầy”, NXB Trẻ, Trần Tiển Cao Đăng dịch 14 “Sử dụng Bản đồ tư (Mind Map) công tác, giảng dạy học tập” (Bài viết thầy Trần Văn Cơ- chuyên viên Tiếng Anh Sở GDĐT Bình Định giới thiệu diễn đàn SREM) (http//binhdinhteacher.com) 19 15 Một số tài liệu qua dự trao đổi kinh nghiệm với đồng nghiệp 16 Http://www.teachingenglish.edu.vn 20 ... listening and speaking However, in fact, in the last few years the listening and speaking skills of the students and even of the teachers of English were also limited Therefore, in the renewal of the. .. The Target Language During English Speaking Lessons 1.2 Aims of the study The subject defines the theoretical foundation and offers some methods of designing speaking activities in the English. .. and other class members After many years of experience and successful application, I boldly write the initiative with the topic: Helping Students Raise The Sense Of Initiative In Using The Target